The Paul Wells Show

Mike Moffatt, founding director of the PLACE Centre, and the Trudeau Government discuss the federal housing crisis. They cover the shift to a national issue, government strategies, urban development challenges, long-term planning, and the impact of communication strategies on federal housing dialogues.

Marcel Beaudin, a former head of Ontario Provincial Police, discusses strategies for handling protests, importance of Indigenous representation, and the evolution of policing strategies. He shares insights on challenges faced at the Ottawa Convoy, interactions with protesters, and the impact on morale.

Andrew Coyne and Paul Wells discuss the evolution of journalism, Trudeau's future as prime minister, economic stagnation, political figures' balancing acts, and media industry subsidies.

It’s been four months since Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel, leading to the war in Gaza. Is there an end in sight?    Foreign policy analyst Janice Stein joins Paul to weigh in on the crisis in the Middle East, the other crises that the world is facing, and the importance of embracing uncertainty in conflict.   Janice Stein is the Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management and Negotiation at the University of Toronto and the Founding Director of the Munk School.   This interview was recorded at the Munk School.

Join us for a night of jazz, political wonkery and a novel-length poem about werewolf whalers for some reason. Featuring: - Shuvaloy Majumdar, the new MP for Calgary-Heritage - Jason Guriel, reading from his book The Full Moon Whaling Chronicles - Larisa Galadza, Canada’s former ambassador to Ukraine - Jazz singer Caity Gyorgy, accompanied by Mark Limacher on piano

CBC/Radio-Canada announced today that they’re cutting 600 existing jobs and leaving another 200 vacant positions unfilled. Shortly before these cuts were announced, their president and CEO Catherine Tait joined Paul to lay out her case for a public broadcaster, and her vision for its future.

Toomas Ilves, former president of Estonia, talks about building up Estonia's tech sector, getting Estonia into NATO, and watching Russia grow more aggressive from a small Baltic country. He discusses Estonia's digital revolution, the Tiger Leap program, and the strategic decision to join the EU to gain entry into NATO. Ilves also explores the defensibility of Ukraine and Georgia and argues against expanding NATO to these countries. He highlights the lack of support given to Ukraine during the invasion and reveals how Estonia became a global leader in IT and digitization.

Olivia Chow, the recently elected Mayor of Toronto, discusses her experiences and challenges in managing the city, including the financial impact of COVID-19 and the need for transparency in city finances. She also explores the dynamics between Toronto and the federal and provincial governments, and reflects on her past collaboration with Jack Layton and the importance of working together.

Quebec's government will double university tuition for out-of-province students, impacting English universities. The president of Concordia University discusses the financial blow and the hot button issue. The podcast explores the history of tuition hikes and protests in Quebec, the impact on out-of-province and international students, and the discourse surrounding bilingualism in Quebec.

The National Gallery of Canada had a rough year, as they reckoned with shifting attitudes towards culture and representation. Their new CEO, Jean-François Bélisle, joins Paul to talk about how he plans to move forward, and what a national art gallery should look like in the year 2023. This episode was recorded live at the National Arts Centre. FURTHER READING: Turmoil Engulfs Canadian Art Museums Seeking to Shed Colonial Past - The New York Times Subscribe to Paul's Substack for a premium version of this show: paulwells.substack.com